Improvement in machines for cutting corks



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

F. L. BLAIR. Machines for Cutting Gurks.

Patented June 30,1874. n

r 11min @ZM MM @f1/Lag@ UNITED STATES PATENT OEEroE.

FRANK L. ELArn, or ALLEGEENY CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING CORKS.

Specification forming part of'Leitfrs Patent No. 152,545, dated June 30, 1874; application ile'd March 7, 1874.

To all whomv yit may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. BLArR, of Allegheny City, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machine for Cutting Corks; and I do hereby declare thc following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my improved cork-tapering machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation 5 and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My invention consists in causing the centering device to move always in the same vertical plane, passing. centrally between the spindles, so that its adjustment shall depend simply on lengthening or shortening its movement. It also consists in an improvement in the feeding device. Y

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will describe its` construction and mode of operation.

Upon a frame, a, of the usual construction, I mount the operative parts of my machine. This machine has a knife, b, and spindles c and d of the usual form, and is operated by a powerbelt, j'. Iiastened to the side of the machine, opposite to the inner ends ofthe spindles c and d, is an inclined spout, g, for feeding the corks in a continuous row. This spout is, preferably, fitted with adjustable sides g1, adjustable by slots and screws g2, to suit different sizes of corks. lithout the adjustable sides it is necessary to have a number of diiterent-sized spouts, which areinterchan geable. Mo unted in grooves in the side of the frame a, just below the end of the spout g, is a slide, c, having a V-shaped receiver or groove, el, in its upper end. This slide is moved vertically by the lever hl, which has its fulcrum athz, and is operated by the cam L. The pawl h3 of the lever enters and travels in the groove h4. The other end of the lever h1 extends around the lower end of the slide e, and raises and lowers it by its alter nate pressure against the spring e2 and the collar c3. The function of the slide c is to reccive the feedcork at its upper end as it comes from the spout g, and then to carry it up between the grasping ends of the spindles c and d, so that it shall be grasped between them. The movement of the slide is regulated by means ofthe screw e4 operating upon the stop e5, so as to center corks of various sizes between the grasping-points ofthe spindles. The adjustment of this slide is a matter of great nicety, as the difference between the sizes of the corks to be tapered is in some cases extremely slight. It is, therefore, evident that the slide e must hold the cork at the exact point to be properly' grasped by the spindles, or the cork will be cut imperfectly. As the throw of the lever h1 remains the same, wha-tever may be the movement of the slide c, (unless theeam h is changed for one of a different size, such size corresponding to the exact movement of the slide,) I have placed a spring, c?, between the end of the lever and the square shoulder of the slide e6. Then when the slide has been raised until the stop e5 encounters the screw c, the lever h1 operates upon and compresses the spring e2 without affecting the farther elevation of the slide. Bythis means I am enabled to take up the surplus motion of the lever h, and to make one cam, lb, answer in the operation of tapering all sizes of corks.

As the machine can only operate upon one cork at a time, it is necessary to prevent the feeding of more into the receiver el. For this purpose I have mounted in the bracket i an arm, il, the point i2 of which extends over into the lower end of the feedingspout g. At the side of this arm il, and extending into the path of the. pin i3, which is mounted on the slide c, is an arm, fr, which is for the purpose of raising the finger i2 during the upward movement of the slide e, to permit the passage of one cork into the receiver e1. The finger fil comes down upon the next cork and holds it stationary until again raised, as described. Mounted on the side of the machine, at 7c, is a lever, k1, having at its outer end a friction-wheel, k2, which is pressed against the inner face of the wheelh by the spring k3. At the other end of the lever 701 is an arm, k, which carries at its upper end a bent spring, h5. The forward end of this spring extends over the top of the slide e and above the end of the feeding-spout g. The cam his planed out on its inner face, at k6,

so that in its rotation the forward end of the lever k1, being pressed by the spring 7.13, is thrown outwardly so as to throw the spring lr inwardly directly over the top ofthe slide c. The function of the spring ks is to hold the cork which hasbcen fed into the slide c in place while being grasped by the spindles. The spindle c is rotated by the belt c1. The spindle d is stationary, and is provided at its outer end with a loose spool, d, which rotates with the cork and with the spindle c. The spindle el has a reciprocating motion communicated to it by the rod d2, cam d?, and spring d", in the usual way. This reciprocatimg` motion o'f the spindle d enables a cork to be grasped by the spindles and held during the operation of tapering, and loosened and discharged when finished. c

The devices just described are all operated by power from the shaft m, exeeptin g the spindle c, the operation of which has been described'. On the outer end of the shaft mis a spur-wheel, m1, which isoperated by power from the shaft a by the spur-wheels m2 and m3. The belt cl is operated by power through the band-wheel c2, gear-wheels c and o, bevel-gears e5 and c6. As the spindles are only designed to rotate during the tapering of the cork, and not during the operation of centering the same, their operative power is intermittent. To accomplish this I plane ofi' a segment of the beveled gear-wheel c, as seen at c7, so that during the passage of the plane portion c7, the spindles are at rest and free to discharge the finished cork and grasp the next one.

It is necessary that the operation of taking up the .power from the bevel-gear wheel c5 should be exact. I have therefore cut off the upper half of the first tooth, 0, of the bevelgear wheel 0G. By this means I am enabled, with accuracy', to cause the wheels c5 and c to mesh into each other in the proper manner. At each revolution the half-tooth o, turning past the first tooth, adjusts the wheel c, so that the next tooth of the wheel shall mesh with accuracy into the wheel c5.

In order that the knife b, which is rotated with great speed all the time by means of the belt b', shall not interfere with the operation of centering the cork between the spindles, I attach to the front end of the machine a bent lever, p, one end of which operates against the cam p, and the other end of which is attached to the pivoted cross-bar q, which carries the knife-arbor. The operation of the cam against the lever causes the cross-bar q tobe raised during one-half the rotation of the shaft a, so that it shall clear the spindles, as indicated in Iiig. 4. Then, when the cork has been properly centered, the further rotation of the cam la lowers the knife b into cutting position.

the knife b is very heavy, and the fall of the bar q is apt to rack the machine, I have pivoted the bar to the spring q at the rear end of the frame for counterbalancing the weight of the knife and cushioning its fall.

The'spindles c and d are set, as usual, at an inclination, so that the cork is presented to the knife in an inclined position for the purpose of being properly tapered. Then the cork `has been cut it is released from the spindles by t-he withdrawal of a spindle, d, in the manner described, and, falling down, is deected, by means of the plate or spring r, into a proper receptacle. This pla-te is very iiexible, so that on the rise of the slide c it bends backward out of the way, and upon the lowering of the slide springs forward under the cork to catch it on its fall from the spindles.

The operation of this machine is as follows: The knife rotates all the time. Vhile the spindles are at rest the corks are fed down the inclined spout until they encounter the finger i2. The rising of the slide c causes the finger to rise and permit the passage of one cork into the receptacle el. The spring h5 then, moving forward, rests upon and holds the cork firmly in place in the receptacle el. The spindles coming up, the cork is grasped between them, being properly centered in the receptacle c. Duting this operation the knife is elevated in the manner before described, but when the cork has been grasped it descends, and, power being communicated to the spindles, the cork is caused to rotate against the edge of the rotating knife. The inclined position ofthe cork causes it to be cnt into a tapering form. The knife is then elevated and the spindle d withdrawn, discharging the cork onto the plate r, which guides it to a proper receptacle.

The great advantages arising from this machine are the mechanical certainty of its automatic feed and centering apparatus, and the rapidity of its operation, enabling me to accon'iplis'n a saving, in the tapering of corks, in time and labor. A

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The slide c, provided with a groove, el, and having a directly vertical movement and a like adjustment, so that it may be suited to any sized cork by lengthening or shortening the stop c, as and for the purpose described.

2. The stop or finger i2, moving vertically to permit the passage of one cork at a time.

In testimony whereof I, the said FRANK L. BLAIR., have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK L. BLAIR.

XVitnesscs E. C. FrrLnn, T. B. Klum. 

